165. Augmentation - 9 + Christmas Break Notice`

165. Augmentation - 9 + Christmas Break Notice`

I stayed near the balcony I had used to slip in as the castle rocked for a moment. It made it easier to get caught, but the ability to jump out felt more important as the castle shook at the moment of disaster. At the same time, I was also observing the people running around, checking their level of panic.

I only relaxed once I noticed the officers weren't panicking. They were tense and stressed, but they weren't panicking, which was all that I needed to confirm the truth of the matter.

As the explosion subsided outside, I could see two changes, despite the dust cloud that followed the explosion. First, there was a huge pit where the breach had been earlier, radiating a small amount of ordinary mana.

Second, there was no red mana to be seen. The explosion had been magnificent, but clearly, it hadn't been cheap.

Even as I communicated with Zolast to inform him about what had just happened, I tried to make a decision. Leaving the castle was an option, and if I wanted to do that, right now was the best option. However, that meant I still needed to pass through the wall.

And, when I looked at that side, I saw another blue glow, much thicker than what had been there while I was sneaking in. It was probably raised to an emergency stage due to the explosion but I didn't know whether it would be reduced once the aftershocks were completely over.

Maybe they would maintain it to make sure nothing would escape.

Particularly, the hero that they had been looking for with the intent to kill.

I decided to rely on my second option, to stay in the castle. They had no reason to search for me in their castles and even if they did, a castle had certain advantages to the outside, where they could just attack. It would be a far more suitable environment to face their challenges.

And, what better way to stay in a castle while undetected than disguising as a servant?

I walked down the stairs until I arrived at the lower floors of the castle, ready to rely on my Concealment and Charisma as needed. Amusingly, neither was required. People were running around, each with their emergency task to repair the castle or reinforce the wards, some carrying mana stones, others carrying bricks and metal plates.

All I had to do was walk with a purpose, and not a single person questioned my presence until I arrived at the storage room.

And, there, I changed out of the armor and put on a robe that the servants had been wearing, giving me an excuse to be in the storage room. Then, I went toward where the food crates were wiggled in between and started waiting.

Soon, I learned that my decision to stay in the castle was the correct one. The sound of constant explosions reached my ear and, the scraps of discussion I had been hearing confirmed that they weren't fighting against an enemy.

No, they were bombing the entire area arguably to make sure that no cultist was captured, but I had a feeling that the real aim was to make sure 'the hero' was dead.

Accept / Reject]

I couldn't help but chuckle at the sudden burst. All those annoying meditation sessions, trying to awaken that stat and that was the way it was Awakened. I couldn't help but wonder about the sudden sense of familiarity. It was almost like I had copied the fleeting sensation that I felt when Zolast Awakened it.

[+1 Intelligence]

[-1 Stat Point]

The difference was fascinating but underwhelming at the same time. Despite its name, I didn't feel like I got smarter. But maybe that was my mistake in the first place as I tried to Awaken it. I was trying to get something that would make me think differently.

A better way to define it was to say my thoughts moved faster I started repeating the earlier trick, and I could sense myself making connections far more rapidly.

[+9 Intelligence]

[-9 Stat Point]

And, just like that, my thoughts gained even more speed. Now, not only could I deconstruct the moves I remembered from Artmiss' duel, but I could also think about designing a better smuggling ring at the same time without sacrificing quality and play a game of mental chess, all at the same time not that I was a good chess player even with Intelligence boosting me.

Soon, I shifted my full attention back to deconstructing what I remembered from the fight and continued to build those exercises that would help me get a better sense of my Stats. I first focused on my Agility, feeling like a gust of smoke, untouchable and flexible. As I worked on it, I could feel my stat responding almost in kind.

As I played around, I shifted from Agility to Strength, my movements sharp and domineering. I wasn't basing it on Artmiss' skill, but Baron Maell instead. He had his faults, many of them, but the way he fought was an amazing display of the potential of the Stats, allowing me to base a training pattern on it successfully.

Too successfully, I realized as I brought my fist against one of the crates, not expecting anything to happen. After all, I was just trying to create a movement, my arm moving slowly, like a teacher showing the details of a punch to his student.

So, I certainly didn't expect the crate to crack loudly the moment my fingers touched a sense of Strength radiating from my fingers.

"Lucky that those mana cannons are loud enough to be deafening," I said with a sigh even as I cleaned the mess as much as possible.

Still, despite the close call, I was glad for the discovery.

Maybe the purists that Zolast mentioned when we first met were onto something.